Avenging His Luna

3 The Walk Back

Joshua



It was a silent walk back from the Red Savage Territory. I couldn't believe it had only been a week since I was rescued from prison and taken to my sister's pack. Watching her battle our father had been torture. It took me back to the day I witnessed her abuse at my father's hands and fought him myself, pinning him to the ground, which resulted in my later poisoning and imprisonment. He deserved his death, and she had earned the right to bring it about. Having been named Alpha after the dust settled brought a whole new array of emotions. I was thankful for Sam’s strong presence beside me. As we walked through the woods, my new warriors in tow, the trail started to widen into the dirt road of our outlying pack members community. Each small cottage we passed resulted in the same stunned expressions, shocked gasps, and whispered conversations as I was recognized as not only being still alive, but also their new leader. The frequency of this occurrence grew as we got closer to our center square and the pack house. Our footprint was set up similarly to any small town. The pack house was at the center along with the clinic and the school. Between them was a grassy area. This is where we were headed. I planned to stand on the small platform there which we often used for ceremonies and announce the death of my father and my return as Alpha. Then I just needed to wait for challengers. Considering all the warriors were currently following me, I didn’t anticipate that happening.

“Hey man, we are almost there. Are you ready for this?” Sam asked, taking me out of my thoughts.

I shrugged. “I guess. When we were younger, I thought this would be a really transcendent moment, crowds cheering and s**t. Now, I can’t help looking at the poverty we are walking through and desperately wanting to change their lives. What the hell happened while I was in jail? I knew my father didn’t like ‘social programs,’ but this is almost horrific. I heard stories from others my father locked up, but I was never truly able to envision it I guess.”

“Yeah, he gambled a s**t ton of money away a few years back. He sold off a bunch of holdings he had, including the hotel in the human town. It is hard to support four females and a pack when you have no revenue streams. So, he started taxing the hell out of the pack. It got to the point that food was scarce. He had warriors hunting in order to feed everyone.”

I made a fowl face at the thought of warriors heading out and hunting in wolf form. The thought of it actually made me a bit nauseous.

“Don’t tell me you all shifted for the hunts?” I asked, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

Sam punched me in the arm and started laughing. “We aren’t barbarians, asshole.”

“So you’re telling me my father allowed guns on pack land?”

“Yeah,” Sam said a little too lightly. “I know, it’s unheard of, but I guess he was desperate.”

“Not desperate enough. I see the pack house is still in immaculate order.”

We had cleared the hill and I could clearly see the large white building. Its black shutters and doors made it look so contemporary. Nothing like what you see in the neighboring packs who have held their land for centuries. My mother often said she preferred it. She didn’t want to live in some old, damp, musty house with no natural light; but I knew how jealous she was. The surrounding packs had storied pasts and usually didn’t feel the need to prove themselves. She took a different approach, often draining my father’s accounts by buying designer clothes, handbags, jewelry, shoes, and furnishings. She always wanted to look expensive, even if it was a lie.

“So everyone has been getting fed. Do we need to just focus on infrastructure and revenue? I see how the houses have been neglected, how are the training facilities and running trails?” I asked.

“Well, you know your dad was trying to get Damien to give us rights to his old training building. Ours is literally falling apart. Everything we have has come from your dad taking females to other Alphas for them to use and abuse. That’s been his way of making money the past few years. If they survived their time away, he usually kept them as slaves in the pack house, since he couldn’t afford to pay members for the upkeep.” Sam said.

“Slaves?” I asked, astounded. “What the f**k? How many?”

“No clue, man. He made a practice of buying female teens from pack members who needed money to feed their families. Most of them had younger pups. Sacrifice one to save the rest, I guess.” He shrugged and it dawned on me that he didn't view this lightly, he just felt helpless and ashamed.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. All I could see as we passed homes were skinny pups in ragged clothes, homes with missing shingles and tarps over the roofs, and females with sunken eyes who looked years older than I knew them to be. They obviously had been neglecting themselves in order to feed their young. I smiled some, realizing that even though my father was an asshole, my pack members were strong. They were selfless and I knew that with the right leadership, we could all pour that sacrificing mentality into working toward the greater good and turning this pack around. But right now, I had to deal with feeding these pups and freeing the slaves that waited for me in the house.

“Want me to bring everyone out?” Sam asked as we drew closer to the center square.

“Mate!” Flame screamed in my mind.

“Where?” I asked.

“House, she’s in the house.”

“No, my mates in the house. I’ve been waiting years for this. I’m not waiting any longer.” I said, jogging in that direction. The years of feeling her presence through the wall were finally going to culminate in having her in my arms. A sickening thought entered my brain as I headed toward the door. There was a possibility that if she was in the house, she was one of my father’s slaves. If that was the case and Sam was right about them, my father had handed her over to some depraved asshole for enjoyment. If I had this information three hours ago, I would never have let Clara kill him. If I could bring him back now, I would kill him again, this time much slower and with way more agony.

I entered the house and looked around, noticing the pristine furnishings and décor still filled the rooms. I turned and headed up the stairway following the most alluring scent of daffodils and morning dew. It carried me to the second floor where it drifted from the room at the end of the hall. A female stood draped in the doorway wearing nothing but a silk robe and taking a long drag from a cigarette after yelling at someone inside to hurry up. I knew from the shrill tone it was my mother. How much did she know about what happened to me and where I had been? She obviously didn’t mind how my father made money as she benefited from his little slave trade. I stalked down the hall and the harsh scent of her cigarette interrupted the pleasant path I had been following.

I stood several feet back and waited a second to see what would unfold.

“You stupid girl!” My mother yelled. “This should have been done hours ago. How the hell am I supposed to show up to a victory ceremony in a wrinkled gown? You will not have supper tonight if I am late!”

Who the f**k did she think she was? A queen? Since when is steaming a gown beneath her?

“Yes Luna.”

My ears picked up on the sweetest voice and my whole body perked. It was her, my mate. The comfort I felt all those years through the wall came flooding over me. I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to see her.